5 mins read

Europe’s extreme heat would be impossible without climate change, scientists say

The record-breaking heat that’s scorching Europe day and night this month would not have been possible without climate change, according to a new study. The World Weather Attribution rapid study released Friday found that the heat would have been virtually impossible just five decades ago, and is 200 times more likely today than it would […]

3 mins read

Get a load of this: Humans and great apes share similar giggles

NEW YORK | Humans and great apes have been giggling in similar ways since branching off the evolutionary tree, a new study suggests. How do we know this? Researchers tickled 13 captive apes — including gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees and bonobos — and recorded the results. The new research reexamined those decades-old recordings and compared them […]

3 mins read

Billionaire investor Leon Black is set to testify to Congress about $158M in payments to Epstein

WASHINGTON | Billionaire investor Leon Black is appearing before the House Oversight Committee on Friday as lawmakers seek to untangle the web of wealth and influence around Jeffrey Epstein that they say enabled decades of sexual abuse. Black is the latest powerful figure to sit for a closed-door deposition before the committee. Microsoft co-founder Bill […]

4 mins read

Massive Shiite crowds mark Ashoura amid fresh Iran-Israel-US war fallout

NABATIYEH, Lebanon | Shiite Muslims marked one of the most important days on their calendar Friday with large gatherings in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and other parts of the world to remember the seventh-century killing of Hussein, the grand son of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. The annual commemoration, known as Ashoura, is marked on the 10th day […]

4 mins read

Newsom urges a national ‘billionaires’ tax’ while fighting one in California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who is considering a run for president as he approaches the end of his term, called for a national “billionaires’ tax” on Friday even as he fights another proposal targeting the wealthy in his home state. Newsom also said the U.S. government should own a stake in artificial intelligence […]

5 mins read

Ukraine unleashes one of its heaviest drone bombardments of Russia

Ukraine launched a major nighttime attack on a dozen Russian regions, Russian-held Crimea and the surrounding seas, Moscow’s Defense Ministry said Friday, in what appeared to be one of Kyiv’s biggest drone assaults since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion more than four years ago. Russian air defenses intercepted 660 Ukrainian drones, Russia’s Defense Ministry said. The […]

4 mins read

Trump blames Iran for a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz

WASHINGTON | U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday blamed Iran for carrying out a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a “foolish violation” of the ceasefire agreement with the United States. One drone damaged the upper deck of the ship, but the vessel was able to proceed, Trump […]

1 min read

Missile alert goes off in Dubai but authorities quickly tell public to disregard the warning

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | Authorities in the United Arab Emirates on Friday sounded an incoming missile alert for Dubai but shortly afterward told the public to “disregard the previous warning,” an indication that it was likely triggered by mistake. The brief text message from the UAE’s Interior Ministry, the first of its kind during […]

4 mins read

Ex-national security adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to illegally retaining classified information

GREENBELT, Md. | Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty on Friday to illegally retaining classified information, sealing a deal with federal prosecutors that could allow him to avoid a prison term. Bolton, who became an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump after serving in the Republican’s first administration, is scheduled to […]

4 mins read

Disagreements between Supreme Court justices bubble into public view as major rulings loom

WASHINGTON | The Supreme Court is handing down major opinions at a rapid clip, but even with some of the biggest decisions yet to come there are signs of tension between the justices. One highly unusual exchange for the restrained and traditional atmosphere came Thursday, as the members of the nation’s highest court took the […]